The Inner
by samasim
Summary: /No Romance/Yami Bakura's insane drive for revenge sends him, his arch nemesis and both their hosts to the Shadow Realm. In the place where souls are stripped down to their most inner, what can Yami Yuugi and Yami Bakura's subconscious possibly hold?


Summary: Yami Bakura's insane drive for revenge sends him, his arch nemesis and both their hosts to the Shadow Realm. In the place where souls are stripped down to their most inner, what can Yami Yuugi and Yami Bakura's subconscious possibly hold?

Rating: K

Genre: Adventure/Supernatural

A.N: OH MAAAAAAN! If I could choose 4 characters instead of just 2 from them lists, I would have been much happier. I feel like the summary's been cheated…

Oh, well. This story is gonna be about 3 or 4 chapters long. I totally don't trust myself to stick to long-term writing goals, so I'm keeping it short because I love you too much!XD

Hope you enjoy! Leave any questions in your reviews!

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Who of us doesn't love psychotic, season 0 yamis?XD

IIIIIIIIII

_Yami Bakura's ecstatic cackle echoed all throughout the ancient rooms of the ancient Millenium Ring that housed his spirit. _

_Ryou Bakura shuddered at the sound, the pen dropping from his hand onto the desk he was sitting at._

_"Y-Yami..?"_

_He wasn't acknowledged. Instead, he heard his darkness going on, as if to himself: /Who would've thought...I still have rooms I knew nothing about in this Ring!/_

_"Yami..what ar-"_

_/Oh, this is __**priceless**__!/_

_Insane laughter filled Bakura's ears and heart, and a sense of horror filled overwhelmed him at the sheer elation - the twisted feeling of accomplishment, that filled his dark's soul and seeped into his own through their stormy mindlink._

_"No, Yami - please! No more of this! You promised! You promised you'd be __**good**__!" Bakura screamed over the mad laughter, trying to be heard, but Yami Bakura was either too far gone into his sick daydream or was simply ignoring him like often._

_In a small chamber buried deep__ under the sandy dunes that stretched over the Millenium Ring, Bakura pressed both hands against the wall, reading the inscribed symbols over and over, memorizing them._

_And laugh__ed._

IIIIIIIIII

From the very minute Bakura had asked them to follow him into the deserted alley near his apartment building, Yuugi and Yami should have followed their gut instinct and refused.

Even if this was their friend Bakura asking for their help '_treating the injured, pregnant mother-cat I found by the road this morning_'. Something was wrong.

Yami Bakura had become _flawless_ in impersonating his host.

Yuugi's slow footsteps carried him behind his white-haired friend warily into the dark, tight alley. He felt his darker half's presence rise from the depths of his mind and heart to the surface of the real world till it he was closer than air, merging with his partner, looking through the same set of eyes.

/Aibou..let me take over./

/…You're feeling uneasy too, right?/

/This is _wrong_. This is very likely the Thief's Spirit we are dealing with. Let me take over now./

Bakura stood still a few feet ahead of them. The unease in Yuugi's heart spiked. He wasn't sure if it was his own or his dark's.

Even though his friend's back was turned to him, Yuugi had the craziest vision of lips drawing back to reveal long canines flash before his eyes.

/Aibou!/

Yuugi relinquished control.

The alley was thrown into a murky darkness.

Yami Bakura turned around. The very shadows around him seemed to be lapping his face, curling around his body - like the limbs of a sentient being. The expression on his face turned into the very mask of sadistic glee. He could tell immediately that he was facing his _real_ foe - the Pharaoh.

"_Heh_. Pharaoh always thinks of his people first. Always appears before the commoners ask for him."

"Bakura! Release your host now!" Yami commanded.

"Shut up and worry about your own vessel, your _Highness_." The tomb raider waved a hand gracefully through the air, and his Shadow Game incorporated itself in all its glory.

"Well, your _Majesty_ - I don't need to explain a Shadow Game to the_ King of Games_ now, do I?" the Thief King sneered "The winner leaves this Game unharmed. _Loser_ will have their mind crushed and the pieces thrown into every corner of the Shadow Realm."

"You still have the guts to challenge

me after all those times you lost?" Yami smirked, He could never turn down a game. He _thrived_ on them!

"What are the rules, Thief? Or do you need help _understanding_ the word-?"

"Mock while you can, Pharaoh. Enjoy your wits while they last.

"This game is going to be different for your enjoyment and mine. I have played by your rules far too many times, and now it is time we do it my way.

We will not be duelling with monsters. This is going to be the ultimate test for our dark powers, and I - your _Majesty_, AM the darkness! We're taking this duel to the Shadow Realm itself!"

"What are y-"

Bakura crossed his arms over his chest, and started chanting in an ancient language. The eye of Horus burst open under his white bangs. The street lights overhead went out in an explosion of bulbs. The tomb raider's Millenium Ring began to dance vigorously with energy, the pointers flapping insanely.

"You fool!" Yami growled. The Eye started to shine warningly on his own forehead in response to the dark energy engulfing them both in a world of black.

A strange feeling of instability started slowly seeping into his heart. It confused Yami at first, then his eyes widened in horror.

The feeling of instability was coming from _Yuugi_, not him.

Bakura was taking their lights with them. To the Shadow Realm.

/Aibou, stay in your Soulroom!/

Yuugi came running into the hallway joining their souls as soon as Bakura had started opening the portal. The effect on the light was immediate. His breathing began to labor. The energy began to drain out of his petite body. He swayed a little, feeling faint.

/Get inside _now_!/

/No! I want to help! He's going to cheat - you know he will! W-/

/_I SAID get into your Soulroom now, Aibou!_/

Yuugi stopped, shocked and speechless. Yami had never - never even _once_, spoken to him like that before. He had never indirectly accused him of not being able to help, either.

Normally, Yami kept his feelings under control. Even in dire circumstances, he kept his strong mental barriers up, allowing no negative emotions passage through to his light.

But now, Yuugi felt even more drained by the weakly-concealed anger, rolling off Yami in waves.

And the fear. A deep fear his darkness was trying so hard to control.

Yuugi would not relent. /No, Mou Hitori no Boku! I wi-/

In a swift, sudden movement, Yami did something he had never done to his light before.

Yuugi uttered a shocked cry as his dark shoved him back forcefully into his Soulroom and sealed the door.

Everything went completely black.

IIIIIIIIII

_Water flowinglaughing children splashing everywheregrown ups calling FearFearFEARFEAR screaming little voices ROARING blood flowing in the river screaming SCREAMINGThe sacred river of both lifeANDdeath_

Yami thought that suffering for thousands of years in a darkness so horrifying words cannot describe - a darkness that strips _everything_, and leaves the entrapped soul a mad, nameless half-human would in a way make him prepared for the nightmare of having to survive - and stay sane enough to win a game, in the Realm of Shadows.

He was wrong. As soon as the real world disappeared around him and he descended into the Realm, the horror-filled immensity of pressure exerted by the ancient, ruthless parallel world flooded him. Half-memories, half-emotions of existing in a similar world inside his Puzzle came gushing back mercilessly to his senses. He doubled over, his body shuddering violently. It took every ounce of willpower to not start screaming and scare Yuugi senseless.

His head started to ring with a thousand voices, and a kaleidoscope of messed imagery half-blinded his sight.

The Realm had begun its slow torture.

He grasped his head desperately. He could hear cackling somewhere_BakuraMustbe Bakura__._ Even before his feet had touched the black floor, he could feel the shadows ripple excitedly all around him, on his skin, vibrating inside his chest and interfering with his heartbeat. They could already feel the irresistible draw of a small being of light in the never-ending darkness.

Like starved, rabid wolves they swarmed Yami, seeped through his skin, and rushed into the shared hallway, grouping at Yuugi's door, trying to break through the barrier of magic erected rushedly by Yami right before he had been pulled into the Realm.

His heart filled with a blind rage, amplified by the maddening influence of the Shadow Realm. Without thinking, he retreated into their hallway, leaving no one in charge of the body.

"_Filth_!" he roared "Stay away from him! He is not yours!"

The ringing in his head grew louder and louder.

_People cheering incredible masseswhere did they come fromwhy are they herewho are they kneeling to_

The Puzzle's magic responded eagerly to his rage. Shadow Magic tore through the air, and clashed with the Realm's own clamored at the door in a vicious burst of energy. The force was enough to send them away for a few moments_their faceswhy are they looking at me like this their eyes their EYES__Insects are crawling in them_but nothing - not even the King of Games, will be able to keep them away forever when he himself was going mad.

He had to finish this wretched game _fast_, and get the hell out.

Yami ran to the door, trying to see through the flood of horror illusions_who is that girl that screaming tan girlwhy is she crying like this her teacher her teacher is dead is it because of me_the Realm was trying relentlessly to shove into his mind. He heard Yuugi's distressed moans as he neared the door, and realized with a pang of horror that despite being sealed inside his Soul Room, Yuugi still received some of the Realm's torturous hallucinations through their open mindlink.

"Aibou! Are you alright?" his mind reached desperately against his better judgement, needing to feel his hikari in this darkness more than anything. His mind wove around his light's, but reeled back in shock with a pained grunt as the unison of hallucinations in both their minds exploded like a chemical reaction _Aibou don't believe them don't believe these disgusting lies I would never hurt you never I would die over and over before you cry_

The ringing in his ears was becoming high and shrill.

_High PriestWhy are you doing this to meI do my bestDo not blame me for the mistakes of othersI am NOT to blameI've done NOTHING WRONG_ In his fading sanity, he held unto the mindlink desperately despite the pain it caused them both, horrified beyond logic at the very thought of not having his light here, present with him and balancing him in this...hell. Be parted from Yugi? It was beyond comprehension.

He heard Yuugi's hurried footsteps stumbling to reach the door. He pulled himself up and pressed his hands and forehead against his hikari's door, and felt his other against it on the other side, exhausted and afraid.

"Mou Hitori no Boku..?" came the gasp, disoriented and drained "are you ok..?" he heard his light fumble with the doorknob.

The shadows close by shifted eagerly at the sound. Yami whirled around and shoved another mass of Shadow Magic into their faces.

"It-it won't open! Can you o-"

Yuugi's words became muffled and faint as Yami erected more barriers. Thick, weblike spells were woven together all over the door in a desperate, obsessed protection.

"I've sealed the door to keep the Realm's darkness away from you. I will finish this wretched game and we will leave before you know it, Aibou. You stay in there and be safe. Stay away from the door and go to sleep, so you don't attract them more."

"_What? __No..!_ What about you? ..You..you can't fight them alone..! Let me help, Mou H-Hitori no Boku! I can - we _always_ fight enemies together!" the light panted defiantly.

Yami shook his head, the notion arriving in Yuugi's mind without having to see it. "No. This is different. Only a Yami-a dark being such as myself, can stand a chance in this place. I..even I won't survive very long here, so I have to defeat Bakura at whatever game he is playing and get us back."

Yuugi couldn't provide a very coherent answer, and the jumble of unformulated thoughts and emotions that reached Yami through the link froze his heart. The Realm was affecting Yuugi so badly he wasn't even able to mentally send a proper response, let alone speak words. It was even worse than the duel with Pegasus..

Swallowing back his mounting terror and despair, he tried to comfort his Aibou the best he could, praying it would get through all the Realm's nightmarish illusions, and blocked the mindlink.

Yami returned to the outer world, back to the mind-boggling illusions fullforce. He could sense another Yami closeby_B__AKURA_, made faint by the half-formed thoughts and memories of things he could not remember dark tentacles surrounding his sight, lapping at his eyes. The icy, screeching wind filled his ears – his head, all unified with the whispers and the screams and the groans, all in one maddening explosion of sight and sound.

An enormously large eye, wide and disturbing, blinked at him a distance away. It seemed to just float, observing passively. Yami's mind barely noted it.

He looked up through scrunched eyebrows.

And came face to face with Yuugi, and a quite solid-looking one at that.

"Aibou! You shouldn't be here!" he cried through the screaming in his head. "This is not your battle, get back in your Soul Room!"

"You're yelling instead of complimenting me?" Yuugi pouted "You should be proud!"

"Please Aibou..you're exhausted. I don't know how you managed it, but your energy is not meant for this place! Please go back insid-"

_(Why should I...? I am LIGHT, Other self. I feel _right_ at home)_

The message arrived in a gentle mass of light. It momentarily dispelled all thought and illusion from the dark's mind. The calm that followed all the screams was heavenly. Yami's will wavered, and his eyes closed contentedly. He felt his light embrace him reassuringly, and he responded instinctively.

It took him a while to realize Yuugi was laughing.

IIIIIII


End file.
